Creating the Learning Commons
Course
Focus on Your Users [7:15]
The first step to transforming our traditional libraries into learning commons is to realize that every decision we make must be about our users, especially our students.
One of the first things we see when we walk into a library are the signs. How are the signs in your library and who were they directed at? What's the main message? Think about your signs. Do they welcome your users as the main message? A sign in your library is often the first impression many people will have of you, your space and your program. Signs that list everything you're not allowed to do, most notably food, no drinks, no headphones. Those signs are not user-centered, those signs are more facility-centered or librarian-centered and it's understandable why we choose to hang up those signs.
Some of the sweetest librarians I know have signs near the computers with the rules on them: no games, no cell phones, no chat rooms. They didn't hang those signs up to be mean; they care about their students. They were just thinking about the use of technology in their space over their users. Is there a way we could change those messages into something positive? If students want to use your resources, but they don't feel welcomed because of your signs, they may never come back.
Think about your students, first and foremost, when you're hanging up a sign. Don't think about those few outliers who break rules no matter what you do or say. Think about the majority of your users.
I always laugh at the signs in libraries that say things like: do not chew on the headphone cords or no balloons allowed. Those are probably situations that should be nipped in the butt when they happen, not dealt with through signs. If someone's chewing on the headphone cords, ask them to stop instead of hanging up a sign for everyone else. Some signs are user-centered when they're consistent, professional, necessary, welcoming, and positive. If we let students know what they can do while they're in our space, they will feel welcomed and respected.
The rules for a learning commons could be: respect each other, respect the space, try something new, work together, feel free to move the furniture to fit your needs. I'd love to see a sign like that. Think about font and color in a sign too. Be careful of using fonts like Comic Sans. We're not creating a comic book or a lemonade stand, we're creating an academic space. Use a clean font that's easy to read. And speaking of colors, studying colors prior to painting a wall or buying new furniture or hanging a sign, is important to remaining user-centered. You can read studies about colors like green, that it sooths, relaxes and can help ease stress. Orange stimulates activity and encourages social interactions. Keep your users in mind as you pick out colors for your space.
I also want to talk for a minute about the User Experience Model. This is what I use every time I make a change in my learning commons. The User Experience Model is made up of three elements: usability, look, and feel. Not just one or the other, but all three equally. I would start with usability. Does something work? I wouldn't start doing something if it didn't work. Then I adjust for how it looks. Finally, after watching people use the space or the resource, you'll see how it feels to them.
For example, I set up a self-checkout system in my library a couple of years ago. I first needed to test for usability. Would it work? Could my students scan their ID card and then scan a book barcode, and would a book be checked out? I wouldn't have started using it if it didn't work. That's usability.
Next, I think about the look of the self-checkout module. I wouldn't pick a hot pink background with palm trees for my high school library, because it just wouldn't go with my existing space. I'm looking for something more credible and professional. Maybe my school colors, that seems to work good, definitely something trustworthy. I want students to believe that when they check out a book in the system that it will work. That's the look of the User Experience.
Finally, I need to step back and watch students check their books out on their own and get the feel of it. Do students like checking out their own books? Do they prefer it or would they would rather wait in line and have someone else check their books out for them? And this is the big question: can they do it independently or do they have to ask a lot of questions? That is the feel of the User Experience. When you watch somebody walk up to your bookshelves and find a book on their own, you can see if they enjoy it or not.
But back to "can they use it independently?" Ask yourself this: of all the aspects of your library space and resources, do students ask a lot of questions? One red flag that we aren't taking the User Experience into consideration is when we hear repetitive questions or frequently asked questions.
In my learning commons we have a counter with supplies that's right next to our checkout desk. At the end of every period, we would have these big traffic jams of kids trying to check out books and return their supplies. So we decided to move our supplies across the library. Immediately, same day, we were inundated with questions asking us for supplies. Our supply table was no longer in the right place for our students. When we get back to school, the first thing we're going to do is move the supplies or hang up a directional sign to make it more user-centered. We need to put them somewhere where our users can find them without asking first.
So, imagine what it's like to walk into your learning commons for the very first time. Is it inviting? Would you, as a student, want to go into that space? Is it clear where to get help, find supplies, locate a book? Would it be clear to a person who never used a library before? Take a few minutes to consider the User Experience Model: usability, look and feel, when making any changes in your learning commons. Write down any frequently asked questions that you get and think about how to address those issues. If you focus on your users, you can't go wrong.
A central component of the learning commons is user-centeredness, a concept that extends across library spaces and experiences. Signage, equipment, seating, tables, shelving and organization of materials, and expectations for use of the space can all be user-centered in design and execution. To view the school library with a user-centered lens, Pam Harland presents the user experience model in Lesson 1. There are three elements in this model: usability, look, and feel.
Complete the table (found in Resources) to examine a current library practice or policy according to each element of the user experience model. For each practice or policy, list questions, goals, and qualities related to effective implementation under the headings of Usability, Look, and Feel. Then, in the Conclusions column, respond to your entries to determine the usability of your selected policy or practice.
Listed in the tabel are two examples: the workshop example about self-checkout, and an example about accessing e-books owned by the library. Other policies or practices to test for usability and user-centeredness might be signage, a system for individual students signing into the library during class, routines such as returning books, or the instructions provided for student volunteers who assist with clerical tasks.
MLA Citation
Morris, Rebecca J. "Creating the Learning Commons: Unpack the Usability Model." School Library Connection, November 2024, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1987398?learningModuleId=1987406&topicCenterId=2247903.
Entry ID: 2122632
Additional Resources
About the Author
MLA Citation
Harland, Pam. "Creating the Learning Commons. Focus on Your Users [7:15]." School Library Connection, ABC-CLIO, November 2015, schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1987398?learningModuleId=1987406&topicCenterId=2247903.
https://schoollibraryconnection.com/Content/Course/1987398?learningModuleId=1987406&topicCenterId=2247903
Entry ID: 1987398